The National Action Network's Detroit chapter organized a protest of Kid Rock's performance for the official opening of the much-anticipated Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday.

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Annalise Frank/Crain's Detroit Business

Detroit resident Alma Cozart said she joined Tuesday's protest of Little Caesars Arena's opening show because she feels "Kid Rock is a symbol of racism" and the arena is not "inclusive" of all of the city's residents.

Supporters of Kid Rock and President Donald Trump, many of them bikers, gathered Tuesday in front of Little Caesars Arena on its opening night after much of the anti-Kid Rock and anti-arena protest crowd had dissipated.

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Chad Livengood/Crain's Detroit Business

Kid Rock fans pose for photos in front of the Gordie Howe statue inside the Chevrolet entrance of Little Caesars Arena on its opening night Tuesday.

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Chad Livengood/Crain's Detroit Business

Kid Rock performed Tuesday night to celebrate the opening of Little Caesars Arena, a project 25 years in the making. His act included a rhyming political riff, but stopped short of announcing a real run for political office.

The opening night of Detroit's new Little Caesars Arena came off with hoopla but also collided with politics, drawing a protest of dozens of people against Kid Rock's inaugural act and a rhyming political riff from the Romeo-born musician that stopped short of announcing a real run for political office.

Apart from the political sideshow, opening night at the new, $863 million arena came off smoothly and provided a showcase for the new arena that will anchor the 50-plus-block District Detroit development.

The National Action Network's Detroit chapter planned the protest of the concert, after the Macomb County-born rocker came under fire for his political views and past displays of the Confederate flag. The arena also drew criticism for choosing Kid Rock as its opening act.

Protesters gathered at one point to shout at a lone man displaying a Confederate flag and holding a megaphone. A few others shouted with police. But the protest, which drew about 200 National Action Network representatives, Detroit residents and others, didn't seem to have resulted in any significant altercations, according to security personnel and Wayne County sheriff's deputies along the arena's perimeter.

Protesters lock eyes with a lone guy holding a Confederate flag and a megaphone in front of the new Little Caesars Arena downtown Detroit. pic.twitter.com/1zvR6NRjhm

"The fact of the matter is (nearly) $400 million when this city is only three years removed from bankruptcy," said William Noakes, a former mayoral candidate who joined the protest. "Kid Rock is an insult, but it's not about Kid Rock. It's the fact that they don't support the people who are paying for the arena. The pushback has to be against the Ilitches," the family that in large part financed the building of the arena.

But the opening also drew 50-75 supporters of Kid Rock and Trump, who biked Woodward Avenue and then marched past the arena toting American flags, memorabilia from Kid Rock's Made in Detroit brand and Confederate flag apparel. They came through after a majority of the anti-arena protesters had dissipated. Eight people declined to be interviewed, with one commenting that he wasn't supposed to speak with the media.

Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, had teased that he would reveal his political future after the show's first song. His riff then mimicked a similar rhyming freestyle speech he had performed a week ago in Grand Rapids.

In response to calls for protests, Kid Rock had on Monday posted an obscenity-laced response on his blog and social media, Crain's reported. The performer, who is opening the arena with six concerts and has an affiliated restaurant at the arena, said the criticism is politically motivated and threatened to pull his philanthropic support from charities that have not publicly defended him.

Kid Rock also denied the Detroit Free Press media credentials for the opener, the newspaper reported. The denial was made in response to a Free Press column condemning Olympia Entertainment's decision to select Rock as the opening act, the report said. The Metro Times was also denied, the publication's editor in chief, Leyland DeVito, said on Twitter:

Little Caesars Arena was 25 years in the making for the Ilitch family. The venue, also home to the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons, has made it to opening night, despite the fact that much of its shaping occurred amid a turbulent era in the city's history: Detroit's municipal bankruptcy.

Chris Ilitch, CEO of Ilitch Holdings Inc., said in a WJR AM 760 interview Tuesday that a visit to Edmonton, Alberta's new downtown arena Rogers Place last year gave him a look at an arena six months before completion — and that perspective helped in the final countdown.

"When I got to Edmonton, I thought no way were they going to open that arena, but they did, and that was really helpful because as we closed in on our final days, I kinda knew how it all comes together really quickly in the end," Ilitch said.

Nate Rockwell of Ferndale and Tim Lisewski of Wayne have watched the Woodward Avenue QLine streetcar and Little Caesars Arena projects progress from the sidelines. Both are chefs at the Block, a restaurant and bar just north of the arena near the Majestic Theatre.

Rockwell and Lisweski stood outside the south entrance to the arena Tuesday night after the show started, taking in the dense street traffic.

"We hope it drives business down where we are, because we're kind of in a no-man's land," Lisewski said.

They differed on their perceptions of the arena's impact; Lisewski, who lived in Detroit in the 1990s, called it a "double-edged sword" due to worries about gentrification, while Rockwell said "it means money for all of us."

"I'm excited about the opportunity I have to do well for myself down here" as the city makes gains, Rockwell said.

Chris Roosen of Northville also came to view the spectacle: "This is the nicest airport I've ever been to," he said.

Before Kid Rock took stage, Roosen was sipping on a $16, 16-ounce can of microbrew from Old Nation in Williamston.

"A dollar an ounce," Roosen said of the steep price for a Michigan-made beer.

In the concourse, beer servers were pouring 22-ounce cans of Bud Light for $11.

Despite the price of beer, Roosen was awestruck by the new arena and marveled at the fact all four of Detroit's major sports teams are now playing within walking distance of each other in downtown Detroit.

"Nobody has what we have now," said Roosen, who works in the auto industry.